When shopping for lip balm, choose products that are beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter or argan oil based and made with essential oils. Avoid lip balms that are made with camphor, phenol, parabens, BHT, petroleum jelly, and synthetic fragrances. If you’re looking for lip balm with SPF, choose one made with zinc oxide and avoid those with oxybenzone and octinoxate. Our favorite lip balms are certified by EWG (which ensures the product is free from chemicals of concern), Fair Trade (which benefits the people making the product), and PETA or Leaping Bunny (which ensure no animal testing was performed using the product). 

Ingredients

Camphor

Camphor can provide immediate relief with a deceptive cooling sensation, but ultimately can irritate skin and make your lips more dry than they already were. Though it is generally safe for adults when used correctly, Heathline warns that camphor should never be ingested since it is toxic. The amount of camphor used in lip balms is minimal so you don’t have to worry about poisoning yourself, but we still choose to avoid it. 

Phenol

Much like camphor, phenol provides an immediate cooling sensation. It may make lip balms feel effective, but is actually known to irritate the lips and has been classified as potentially toxic for wildlife and the environment under the EPA Clean Water Act. Phenol has been restricted for use in cosmetics by Japan and Canada, and we recommend avoiding it. 

Parabens

Parabens are cheap preservatives that are very common in lip balms. They are endocrine disruptors (aka they interfere with hormone function), and they are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. 

BHT

BHT is a nickname for butylated hydroxytoluene, which is commonly used as a preservative in personal care products that contain oils or fats (like lip balm!). It’s also another endocrine disruptor and possible carcinogen linked to developmental and reproductive issues, and has been flagged for regulation in Europe and Japan. 

Oxybenzone and Octinoxate

Using lip balm with SPF is a great idea, but not if it contains oxybenzone or octinoxate, which are nasty chemicals that damage our endocrine systems and oceans. These two chemicals also happen to be the most commonly studied UV blockers, and they’re regulars in sun protecting lip balms. 

Zinc Oxide

If you’re looking for lip balm with SPF, choose a zinc oxide-based option. Zinc oxide is a naturally occurring mineral that provides a gentle and non-toxic barrier to the sun’s damaging rays. 

Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly is not our fav since it’s derived from crude oil. The crude oil refining process also creates a ton of air pollution, though the percentage of it contributing to lip balm production is so small that even if we all stopped using petroleum jelly, it wouldn’t really move the needle on our overall fossil fuel usage. Still, petroleum jelly is not our first choice when we reach for a lip balm. 

Beeswax

Beeswax is non-allergenic and anti-inflammatory. It is also known to have antimicrobial properties, so it’s a safe balm for cracked and chapped lips. Some go so far as to hail it as the holy grail in cosmetics. That’s all well and good, but there are some ethical concerns here. Did you know that we harvest beeswax by melting beehives in boiling water and then cooling it? This process can involve cruel mishandling of the Queen Bee, whose wings are often clipped so that she cannot leave the hive. As the demand for beeswax in the cosmetics industry increases, so does the number of honeybees harmed during the wax collection process. 

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil moisturizes, softens, and fights bacteria, and is beloved by many in the cosmetics industry. Growing coconut palms does not require the use of pesticides, which is great. But the crop does pose problems for biodiversity. As demand for coconut products increases, coastal mangroves are being destroyed in favor of coconut palm monocropping operations which are low in biodiversity and deplete the soil. 

Shea Butter

Shea butter is an emollient that helps soften, smooth, and repair the skin barrier. It has been used for millennia in African countries for personal care products, and is known as “women’s gold” because it provides employment to millions of women across Africa. Exports from Ghana alone are valued at $66 million, so opting for shea butter lotions has the potential to support this trade if produced with these women in mind. The reality is that many women in the shea trade are exploited and abused by unfair labor practices. If you’re going to buy shea-based products, look for the UN-recommended Fair Trade certifications that are working to ensure fair labor standards. 

Argan Oil

The argan tree grows almost exclusively in south-western Morocco, where it acts as a natural barrier against desertification, prevents soil erosion, and protects water resources. It’s so good for the environment that Morocco’s argan forest was named a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in 1998. Fortunately, the tree is not damaged by the production of argan oil; rather, the production of argan oil is a reason to protect the tree. Women’s co-operatives have been set up to meet the increased demand for argan oil in the beauty industry, giving many Moroccan women the opportunity for financial independence. Companies like L’Oréal, Weleda, and L’Occitane have invested in the Moroccan argan oil trade to promote education and fair pay among women in the industry. It just so happens that argan oil works wonders on our lips as a moisturizing antioxidant that helps protect against sun damage. 

Synthetic Fragrances

The most elusive ingredient of all might be fragrances. That’s because fragrances are protected from disclosure. While “fragrance” might appear to be one ingredient on the label, that word could potentially comprise hundreds of chemical compounds just for one scent! It’s not the scent that worries us, but phthalates, which enable fragrances to become soluble. They are known endocrine disruptors in both humans and aquatic life and can even lower the production of testosterone. Studies have found that prenatal exposure to phthalates can decrease mental and motor development in children.

Essential Oils

Essential oils, botanicals, and plant extracts – while naturally occurring – can still cause skin irritation. Enter: contact dermatitis. Fragrances like linalool and limonene, which are extracted from citrus fruit peels, can cause allergic reactions in delicate, sensitive skin. If you want some fragrance in your 3-in-1, go the route of essential oils, botanicals, and plant extracts – but make sure you test the stuff on a patch of skin before slathering everywhere. 

Packaging

Lip balm is usually packaged in plastic tubes that are almost impossible to recycle. If you can, buy plastic-free lip balms packaged in cardboard tubes. You can also buy Burt’s Bees and EOS and recycle the empty tubes for free through their partnerships with Terracycle. 

Fun Fact

Your lips have the thinnest skin on your body and lack the tough outer layer that your other skin has. They also don’t have sebaceous oil glands, which secrete a fatty substance called sebum that’s responsible for keeping the rest of our skin hydrated.

Certifications

Here are some certifications to look for when shopping this category.

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